Gas v/s Diesel power

[NIsaacs]

Here is a dyno sheet of my Cummins powered '01 Dodge 2500 and why I tow with diesel power. Towing my sled puller on my 20' equipment trailer I gross 17k lbs and get 12 MPG. Back in the day when I towed with my 428's they averaged 4 MPG in the slow lane It's crazy how much usable power you can make with only 360 cubes of turbo charged diesel power.

The curve was kind of goofy but I think that was because they started the run too high in the RPM band, they should have started about 1500 rpm. With the cruise set the 6% grades are leveled out but the rear tires seem to melt off

 

Nick

[My427stang]

Very nice

They have finally came out with an emissions friendly tune for the new 6.7s.  Stock they peak about 375 rwhp and 750 ft lbs on a chassis dyno.  A few of the custom tuners are getting 475 hp / 1100 ft lbs through the stock intake and exhaust.  The beauty is that the new clean tunes also keeps highway mileage in the low 20's if you stay out of the boost.

Hard to beat a diesel for torque and mileage.  My 2013 is staying stock for now, but may go big someday, the exhaust filter delete versions are making some real big numbers.

[jayb]

It is amazing how much torque a good turbo diesel engine will produce.  Nice numbers.

[GJCAT427]

I like my 95 7.3 crew cab. we just logged over 700 miles in the last 2 weeks and averaged 20+ mpg towing I can pull 15mpg. I did a few mods to her when I first got it Now thinking of a few more.

[cjshaker]

It would take a lot of fuel savings to compensate me spending $45k-$50k for a new truck over the $3000 I have in my '70
Doing some quick math, $40k will buy me 13,333 gallons of fuel @ $3.00 a gallon (currently @ $2.35), which would equal 106,000 towing miles at a miserable 8mpg. The 390 got me 15-16 mpg in my F-250 4wd, 10-12 towing a big load. I don't expect the F-350 to be much worse, if at all. So I have to question the"savings" that people always say it's worth. I guess it's all in how you look at it.

It's crazy the amount of torque they get from the newer diesels. Lots of creature comforts, good mileage etc. But with a BIG price tag and being nearly impossible to work on, repair bills get big fast.

[Rory428]

I`m in the same boat, for 25 years I hauled my stuff to the track on my 74 F350 ramp truck, and I still would be if a racing buddys 99 F350 wasn`t offered for sale. He factory ordered a new F350 Super Duty Super Cab 2wd dually with a V10 and 5 speed, and I told him years ago I would be interested if he ever decided to sell it. I got the call in late 2013, and I grabbed it. My 74 served me well for many years, and the new owner seems happy with it, but a few trips to Medford Oregon, and Sonoma CA in 107-114 degree summer heat made me wishing for A/C! I do really like my "new" rig, although trying to back over 50 feet of truck and trailer into a narrow single driveway, with a hedge and telephone pole on either side, living on a major street near a traffic light, makes me miss the simple parking the old ramp truck allowed. What blows me away is how many young guys I see with newer jacked up, heavily modifed diesel crew cab duallys that have never seen a dirt road, or tow anything. So many of these trucks have over $100,000 in them, and only get used as a daily commuter vehicle. I agree it is very impressive how much power some of these diesels make, but man, that stuff sure doesn`t come cheap.

[My427stang]

I agree, you don't buy a vehicle to save money, and they certainly aren't investments unless they work for a living or you buy them to sell for a profit.  Neither of which is very common

But don't knock the new ones until you try them...wait bad advice....better is, don't tow with a new one unless you want to get hooked LOL

They are expensive, but at 22K combined I set the cruise control at 70, the exhaust brake and turbo slows me down and speeds me up as required, and it never misses a beat while getting double-digit mileage.

Granted, not everyone has to pack up their stuff and move every few years, but getting 17-18 mpg in town with heated and cooled seats makes it feel like it was a good deal    

Sort of like that old commercial

[NIsaacs]

I can understand the price of new, my newest diesel is an '01, the oldest is a '74 with '91 in the middle. I also am not trying to convert anyone, just pointing out the power (never too much) of diesel v/s gas and the fuel mileage. You don't want to tow this with a gasser, trust me






Nick

[MeanGene]

Last time I checked with a heavy tow, I went from Napa to Stockton, picked up a Farmall Super M Diesel, and back home with a 26K rated Trail King (a backhoe trailer) with my 2001 F350 4x4 duallie, 7.3 Powerstroke with an extra 100HP programmed in, 4" exhaust and exhaust brake, and got 19.6 MPG for the loop- and that trailer is a heavy sucker. It'll get about 23 on the freeway with a sweet spot at 72 mph.
7.3 just runs and runs and runs and......

[cjshaker]

I can understand the price of new, my newest diesel is an '01, the oldest is a '74 with '91 in the middle. I also am not trying to convert anyone, just pointing out the power (never too much) of diesel v/s gas and the fuel mileage. You don't want to tow this with a gasser, trust me

Nick

Definitely understandable why people want and use them. If I could afford one, I'd probably have one dedicated to towing. You can't deny the workhorse nature of them, and the fuel mileage is pretty incredible.  And that '74 is pretty cool!